The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is correct.
The use of the imperfect verb “Teníamos” in the sentence is entirely correct. The verb in question is the first person plural (nosotros/we) form of the verb “tener” (to have) conjugated in the imperfect indicative tense. The full sentence, “Teníamos que practicar baloncesto todos los los días,” translates to “We had to practice basketball every day.”
In Spanish grammar, the imperfect tense has several key functions, one of the most important being the description of habitual or repeated actions in the past. It is used to talk about things that someone “used to do” or actions that were part of a regular routine. The imperfect tense does not focus on the beginning or the end of an action but rather on its continuous or recurring nature.
The key to understanding why “Teníamos” is correct lies in the time expression used in the sentence: “todos los días,” which means “every day.” This phrase explicitly signals that the action of having to practice basketball was not a one time event but a consistent, repeated routine. The speaker is describing a past habit. Because the context is a habitual past action, the imperfect tense is the grammatically appropriate choice.
If the sentence were intended to describe a single, completed action, the preterite tense would have been used. For example, one would say “Ayer tuvimos que practicar” (Yesterday we had to practice) to refer to a specific, finished obligation. However, the phrase “every day” is incompatible with the preterite tense in this context. Therefore, the use of the imperfect form “Teníamos” accurately conveys the intended meaning of a past routine, making the sentence correct as written.
